


Baby, It’s Cliché Outside

by CheshireCity



Series: 12 Days of Christmas 2015 [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Christmas, Consent, Fluff, Holidays, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, dyslexic character, gentleman Axel, implied/referenced eating disorder, mild AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireCity/pseuds/CheshireCity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora is enjoying the winter weather in his new apartment. It's nearly Christmas and it's snowing, so in his book, everything is perfect. Except for maybe the upstairs neighbor who has parties and stays up late and laughs too loud and parks in his space. The same neighbor who decided it would be a great idea to put up lights while it was actively snowing and is now face first in the drifts below. And Sora, being the kind-hearted person he is, just can't help but to lend a hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, It’s Cliché Outside

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chocolatemoosey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatemoosey/gifts).



            It was days like this that he loved the best: perched in the wide bench of the window seat, swaddled in blankets, and cupping a warm mug between his hands. He had been like this for maybe an hour – he’d lost track, in fairness – wriggling his sock-covered toes against the blue gingham cushion and scooting them beneath an opposing vintage pillow. He and Riku had picked it up at a garage sale last summer after one of the elders in the community had passed away. The man’s wife had hand stitched little hideous kittens onto the thing, and Sora was instantly taken with its ugly charm. Riku just didn’t get it, but that was nothing new. His other prize – a wool tartan blanket the previous owner had claimed was from some place called DunBroch – was tucked around the crest of his shoulders. He always felt like a superhero when he did this, but his best friend just asserted he looked like a weary king looking over his kingdom full of malaise. Personally, that seemed like some sort of dig at the King, but Sora kept that to himself.

            With a contented sigh, he drew a sip from his mug, chuckling as the steam curled tantalizingly against his skin. Warm, minty chocolate filled his palate, just a hairsbreadth from scalding. He’d regret the burnt taste buds later: it was always a casualty of winter; he was just too impatient to wait for hot drinks to cool. And what a fine winter it was! He’d already decorated for the season, of course. Way too soon, according to his friends. Like they should expect any different: he always started planning for Halloween in August, so why was it a surprise that he started in on Christmas come November? But he had met Santa Claus for crying out loud – had Riku or Kairi? Yeah, he thought not. Their lack of enthusiasm never stopped him from pulling them along into his festive frenzy, though. After all, he relied on Riku’s height and Kairi’s sense of spatial judgement to get everything just right. Now his tiny apartment was festooned in tinsel and garland and mistletoe and gaudy lights of every size and color. Just the way he liked it. Even without Dean Martin crooning from his antique record player and the wafting scents of heated vanilla and cinnamon from the kitchen, the place was a verified winter wonderland.

            And now it was snowing.

            There was little else Sora loved as much as snow. It wasn’t as if he’d had much chance to experience it, providing he was born and raised on an island. There, Christmases were brisk, if not a little bit humid, the surf reaching a special kind of freezing temperature that all the local kids grudged. There would be delicious sea food and roast pork, chocolate dipped pineapple rings, and fruity breads. They’d enjoy devilled eggs and crab cakes while the adults chatted over brimming glasses of Arnold Palmer and Rum Punch. There was always something special about their tropical holidays, and while Sora would always hold a certain nostalgia for them, he had also always craved the sort of cliché Christmas card sort of feeling. Festivities filled with snow and mashed potatoes and cranberries and big wreaths and giant trees and reindeer and cozy cottages and warm fires and hot chocolate and flannels and… well, he could go on. But snow was always the quintessential element: that “white Christmas” concept that had so often eluded him. Which wasn’t hard to do, naturally, when the only way to find the powdery stuff was to “go to the snow”, a term often used in his childhood that was laughed at by those who had the privilege of living in it. There was just something about it that filled him with such childish glee, enough to ignore the fact that it was really, really cold and soaked through his clothing or the fact that Donald and Goofy would stare at him like some sort of alien creature for tossing around in it and attempting to make snow angels like it was his last ever chance. Sora just really loved snow.

            And now it was snowing.

            In other words, winter in his new apartment couldn’t get any better. Except maybe for the neighbor upstairs who had a frequency of tramping around at odd hours of the night and maybe laughed a little too loud or parked in the wrong parking spot. At present, he was making some sort of weird ruckus above Sora’s head, resulting in a muffled sort of scratching noise that the young adult couldn’t quite puzzle out.

            “The hell is he even doing up there this time?” he muttered neutrally. Last time there was a disturbance, his neighbor had had the decency of coming downstairs to warn Sora preemptively, followed by an invitation to the party he was about to host. The whole affair wasn’t too bad, really, except Sora was pretty sure that someone who wasn’t Axel had hooked up in his neighbor’s bedroom and there had been two blondes drunkenly caroling outside and trying to hit on a plastic snowman. At least it kept things interesting.

            There was another scuffle, and then an audible curse. Sora cocked his head voyeuristically and tried to catch a hint of what was going on. Despite his window seat, he couldn’t see much to the sides of him, which was where it sounded like the majority of the noise was arising from. There was a dulled _bop bop bop_ like something drumming in succession along the exterior wall. It couldn’t be? Sora frowned in concern.

            “Don’t tell me that clown is trying to hang lights right now! After all it’s –”

            “AAAUGH!”

            “…snowing.” Pursing his lips in a ‘what did I expect’ sort of fashion, Sora gently set his mug down on the sill and shook his head. The redhead in question was sprawled out in the snow, gracelessly having landed face-first into a drift. “Welp.” Sora hummed to himself, shedding his blanket and straightening his ratty old hoodie. “Guess I should go help him.”

            He padded the two feet to his foyer and cracked the front door, peeking out into the cold. “You okay out there?” he called.

            Axel stayed face down in the snow a moment longer, apparently still in shock, before picking himself up gingerly.

            “I, uh,” he stammered, brushing a hand dazedly through his unruly tresses. “Yup.”

            “Were you trying to hang up lights?”

            “Well,”

            “In the snow?”

            “Erm?”

            “You lost your footing because it was wet, huh?”

            “Maybe?”

            Sora sighed good-naturedly and shook his head. “Come inside.”

            The redhead blinked owlishly at him, turning fully to face the front of the other’s apartment. He was wearing fleece pajama pants over workboots and his long scarf was still tangled up in the back of his hair. Sora fought the urge to laugh at his neighbor’s dishevelment. “Inside?” Axel repeated. “You sure?”

            His question wasn’t so unusual, Sora realized. He’d never invited the man inside before and he _might_ have been the one in the past to file a noise complaint to the landlord. “Yeah, come on,” he insisted, fighting an embarrassed blush. “You’ve got to be freezing.”

            “Well I could just go back up – ouch.” Axel stopped mid-protest as he advanced to the building, wincing and placing a hand to his lower back.

            “You okay?” Sora queried, concern tinting his voice.

            “Well, I did just fall from the second story roof,” the redhead laughed dismissively. “But uh… maybe climbing the stairs right now isn’t the best idea?” Without further prompting, the brunet stepped out his front door – instantly regretting it as the snow seeped into his socks and shocked his feet – and slipped himself beneath the other man’s arm. With a bracing side-hug, he helped his neighbor into his apartment and led him into the bathroom. A second flush of embarrassment filled him as he flipped on the light and remembered he had decorated it with junky artifacts from Atlantica.

            _‘Wow wow wow he probably thinks I’m like a little kid,’_ he berated himself inwardly, noting the framed pictures he and Kairi had crayoned when they were eight.

            “Uh, sweet drawings,” Axel noted almost immediately.

            “Yeah? Well if you like that, you should check out the fridge art. I had my pals Tidus and Waka over a few months ago and they got really stoned and turned out some crazy stuff.”

            ‘ _Why did I just admit to that, now he’ll think I’m some sort of stoner addict.’_

Axel laughed with a lopsided smile. “I’ll be sure to check it out, then.”

            “Yeah…” Sora licked his lips and nodded absently. “So! Uh, let me try and find you some clothes to change in to.”

            Axel recoiled slightly at that, eyeing the younger man unsubtly. “You, uh, think you got anything that’ll fit?” he asked skeptically, taking in Sora’s significantly lesser height and broader shoulders.

            “Yeah, it’s cool. My best friend and his boyfriend stay over sometimes. They leave extra clothes and stuff here just because it’s convenient.”

            “That must be… awkward?”

           “Not at all. I mean, his boyfriend is kind of a weird one. He refers to himself as ‘Ansem, Seeker of Darkness’, but I’m pretty sure his name is just Paul or something.”

            “Goals.”

            “Yeah,” Sora laughed, tension eased. He dipped out of the crowded bathroom and into his bedroom, relenting its messiness before opening the bottom drawer of his dresser and pawing through the foreign clothes. At length he found some long-legged stretch pants and a faded grey band tee. Figuring Axel could cope and use blankets, he returned to his neighbor with the pilfered goods.

            “Thanks, man,” the man returned gratefully, working his scarf and waffle knit sweater from his frame. The skin underneath was even paler than that on his face and hands, but Sora couldn’t help but noticing how surprisingly sculpted the redhead really was. While he was far from any six pack, the man was lean and lightly muscled, like a runner. For the third time in less than an hour, Sora turned from his guest, trying to hide the dusting of pink on his cheeks. He wasn’t a virgin by any stretch, but it didn’t keep him from being flustered whenever he saw an attractive person.

            Shamelessly, Axel continued, disrobing himself of yet more clothing as the wet fabric of his lounge pants hit the bathroom floor. Sora thought he would die.

            “Uhm?” the other piped up.

            “Sorry! Yeah, I’ll leave, haha.”

            “Huh? No, uh, actually,” the redhead stammered, growing self-conscious. “Could you uh, help me with this? I know it’s kind of awkward but I seriously have a catch in my back and I don’t think I can actually bend over to reach much further?”

            Sora gave in and turned to see Axel awkwardly bowed over, trying to hold onto the offered stretch pants that he had just managed to work his feet into. “Can’t get it up?” the brunet asked thoughtlessly.

            Axel barked a surprised laugh. “Well, there IS a draft.”

            “Oh my g – shut up and let me help you,” the younger interjected, reaching forcibly for the waistband of the pants and working them up the other man’s legs – again, not as gangly as first appeared – so that he didn’t trip over the excess fabric at his feet. When he finally worked them up over Axel’s thighs and onto his hips, he released a small breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding. Half-kneeling and this close to a guy’s waist… he purposefully derailed the train of thought and stood awkwardly, patting off imaginary dust from his clothes. “Let’s get you to the couch,” he determined, offering his assistance once more and slipping beneath the other’s arm for support. “You can crash here for a while until you’re able to move without injuring yourself further.”

            “Man, oh man, you make me sound like some sort of poor old grandpa. That hurts, you know?” Axel teased, sticking out the briefest flash of tongue. “Naw, but I appreciate the help. You’re surprisingly nice, you know.”

            “Surprisingly?” Sora retorted, pausing in his tracks to the living room. “I’ll have you know that back home I am the nicest person on my island. Like, I am KNOWN for being too nice.”

            “Oh yeah? Is that a title?”

            “Might as well be. ‘Sora Hikari – Too Damn Nice Award’,” he huffed a little laugh and eased the taller man onto the sofa. “But really, it’s gotten me into trouble a handful of times. I tend to get caught up in other people’s problems because I don’t like seeing them hurt.”

            “Like now, maybe?” Axel hinted.

            “Naw, you’re not trouble.”

            “Much.”

            Sora remembered the holiday party and the blondes again. “Was there someone with a vuvuzela at your last get together?” he recalled fuzzily.

            “Aw shit, yeah, sorry man. That was Demyx. Kid is crazy for musical instruments and outdated memes. A literal walking disaster, let me tell ya.”

            “Sounds intriguing,” Sora laughed, heading for the kitchen. “Maybe I’ll have to meet him sometime – I love those things.” He passed by the refrigerator and the sloppily penciled drawings thereupon: a sentient ice cream cone licking a smaller, horrified ice cream cone and a flying phallus jizzing Skittles over MarijuanaLand, home of the weed peacocks (who coincidentally had dicks for faces). Sora knew that what Tidus and Waka smoked wasn’t a hallucinogenic, but they sure did come up with some crazy (if distasteful) ideas while altered. Still, he suppressed a laugh as he went by.

            “You want some coffee or something? Hot chocolate? I’ve got a Keurig, I can just about do ya anything.”

            “Oh dang. That’s some fancy shit,” Axel grinned appreciatively. “I don’t know, a tea or something would be great, if you don’t mind. I can’t have too much caffeine, personally.”

            “So something herbal, then. Peppermint good?”

            “Peachy. Yeah, it’s my heart,” he continued offhandedly. “I mean, it’s no secret I’m damn skinny, it’s just made my heart a little fluttery.”

            “Really?” Sora asked, setting the pod into the machine and letting it preheat. “You’re uh, kind of built? Couldn’t help but notice earlier,” he admitted blushingly.

            “Yeah, that’s cause I keep active,” the redhead shrugged. “Guess I’m kind of stubborn like that. I mean, it sucks when I pass out every now and then, buuut…”

            “You really should take better care of yourself, you know,” Sora frowned, carefully handling the hot cup of tea and striding back into the living room. “It’s no good if you injure yourself or push too hard.”

            “I know, I know,” the other laughed brusquely, accepting the hot beverage. “Like I said, stubborn.”

            Sora bit his lip in concern, looking over the strange man on his couch. Melting snow still clung to his long eyelashes and his hair was beginning to dry, becoming the slightest bit fluffy. The slant of his bright green eyes were shadowed by heavy thoughts, emphasized all the more by his stitched brows. The young man cast aside his glance, feeling he was intruding on something private. Still, he couldn’t help but care. Gently, he sat beside the man, cuddling his shoulder into the dark cushion.

            “What’s got you working so hard?” he prodded lightly.

            “Man, is it that transparent?” the redhead laughed. “Well…” Again he went silent, eyes sliding unfocused as he stared past his surroundings. The minutes stretched by before Axel shook himself, sending his host a wry, if tired, look. “I lost someone a while ago. I just don’t want to lose anyone else, I guess. You know… you look a lot like him. It kinda… startled me, when you moved in, I mean. The resemblance is a bit uncanny.”

            “Oh… I’m sorry,” Sora mumbled, dropping his gaze quickly.

            “Hey, hey,” the other insisted quickly. “I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. It’s fine, you know, I don’t mind it. I guess that’s why I was so distant to you at first, but… you’re a different guy, I get that.”

            Sora wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just nodded quietly. “Thanks, I guess,” he said at last. “I hope this isn’t too awkward for you, then?”

            “Not at all. It’s Sora, right? You’re a nice guy. Wish I hadn’t taken so long to get to know ya.”

            The brunet perked up, beaming instantly. “Hey, yeah. You’re pretty interesting yourself. You’ve got a sense of humor, don’t you?”

            “Well, I _try_ ,” Axel shrugged. “I think mainly it happens on accident. I’m kinda blasé.”

            “Well, fine by me. Hey, you wanna watch something? I’ve got Netflix.”

            “Are you hitting on me, Sora?” the other teased, bumping their shoulders together good-naturedly. “Is this ‘Netflix and Chill’?”

            “Ohmyg – no! I’m just being friendly!” Sora insisted quickly, unable to keep the tips of his ears from going pink.

            “Friendly, sure,” Axel chuckled. “Alright, what do you want to watch?”

            The two spent several minutes flicking through their options, debating between the merits of children’s programming and super gory horror movies. On one hand, cartoons were getting pretty progressive and it was always fun to reminisce on old childhood favorites only to remember how dark and fucked up they really were. On the other, horror movies were really getting bottom of the barrel, making them ideal for creating new dialogue while watching. At length, they settled for a comedy routine neither of them had heard of and settled into the furniture.

            It wasn’t too long before Sora was fidgeting as per usual, never complacent to be completely still at any given time. His companion merely laughed under his breath and casually settled one hand over Sora’s fiddling ones, wrapping his slender fingers about the others. This made it very hard to concentrate on the sketch, as far as the brunet was concerned, and he quickly found himself studying the redhead all over again. He had a really defined jawline and an attractive resting smile. It belied a certain kind of appealing cockiness, like there was always a joke on the man’s lips. Lips that were a nice peachy sort of color, actually. And… soft, maybe?

            ‘ _Uuuugh not today, self, not today,’_ Sora inwardly berated himself.

            “Bored?” Axel asked, not taking his eyes from the screen.

            ‘ _How does he DO that?’_

“No, this is funny,” Sora answered instead.

            “Still bored, though?”

            “Eh…”

            “That’s fine, let it run in the background. We should get to know each other, besides.”

            “Twenty questions?”

            “Oh man, now you’re REALLY coming on to me. What’s with these generic white-boys-texting answers?” Axel laughed, ruffling the other’s hair when he began to splutter in retort. “I kid, I kid. Surely there’s stuff you want to know about me.”

            “Okay…” Sora hummed, not sure how direct to begin his line of questioning. “I kind of notice you’re up and about at weird times?”

            “Shit, am I that loud?”

            “No?”

            “Sorry, man. I’ve got friends in other time zones, so I have a hard time keeping in touch. Guess it gets a bit rowdy sometimes.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well, one of my buddies, Luxord? We’re drinking buddies, right? Only over Skype. He’s far away so we can’t always hang out in person.”

            Sora thought for the third time back to the belligerent blonds, one of which had indeed been male. “I get the feeling he’s pretty entertaining?”

            “Oh, loads. He’s a bit of a drinker and a gambler, to boot, so he’s got tons of great stories. Plus he just has this way of telling them, you know? Really charismatic. It’s either that, or the accent,” Axel barked.

            “Is he in a different world?” Sora hedged.

            “Huh? Yeah, actually. Not everyone knows about that sort of stuff, I’m surprised.”

            “I guess you could say I’m a bit of a traveler.” Sora returned obliquely.

            “Yeah? Where have you been? Maybe you’ve come across some of my friends.”

            “Uh…” Sora coughed, unsure of where to start. He’d been to a LOT of worlds, and he wasn’t entirely sure all of them had names. He had a tendency to mark his gummiship map with vague descriptors like “Deep Jungle”, “Deep Space”, “The Land of the Dragons”, and, “The One Where The Toys Were Real”.

            “Come on, throw a few at me: Agrabah? Wonderland? Port Royal?”

            “All of them?”

            “Shit, you’re not kidding!” Axel exclaimed, impressed. “My buddy Luxord’s been taking it easy in Port Royal these days. It’s a good atmosphere for him.”

            “He’d probably like Treasure Planet, then,” Sora suggested. “It’s pretty similar.”

            “I’ll have to tell him.”

            “Any other long-distance friends?” Sora prodded, feeling more sympathetic to the late night noises that occasionally kept him up. He’d hate it if Riku and Kairi were too far away, and it was already a bit lonely without the near-constant presence of Donald and Goofy.

            “Well let’s see,” Axel pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. “Vexen’s in Arendelle, though he’s really not my friend, more like an unfortunate associate via my other friends. Uh, Zexion’s hanging with stiffs, Demyx is in Atlantica, and Xigbar is in some sort of video game world with go-karts, I think?”

            “That’s pretty exciting,” Sora perked up. “What about you? Have you travelled much?”

            “Oh yeah,” Axel assured him. “A lot, but it gets tiring real fast.”

“I know what you mean,” the brunet empathized. “Where’s your favorite, do you think?”

            “That’s hard to say, man. Hawaii is a fun place, lots of volcanoes and stuff. But Machu Picchu’s got some killer food, let me tell you. The spinach puffs? Amazing. What about you?”

            “Oh man, you’re gonna laugh,” Sora said, ducking his head. “Ever been to the storybook land, 100 Acre Wood? The folks there are really sweet.”

            “Naw, never been, but I’ll take your word for it. Next question?”

            “Hmn…” the younger mused. “Okay, sorry if it sounds nitpicky, but why do you park in my parking stall?”

            “Huh?”

            “My stall is number six. I’ve just kinda noticed? It’s a little frustrating.”

            “Man oh man, I’m sorry,” Axel returned, being the one to look embarrassed this time. “I’m, uh, mildly dyslexic? My stall is number eight, see? And the lots look identical, being up against that concrete wall and all. There’s not any real clear visual distinctions, right? Well the lettering they use to paint in the six and the eight looks really similar to me, so it’s hard to see the difference.”

            “Oh shit, man that probably came across as really rude of me, I’m sorry!” Sora rushed.

            “No, no, it’s cool, really. I didn’t realize, actually? You just park in my space, don’t you? You’re the little Honda?”

            “Yeah, that’s me. With all the nerdy stickers on it?”

            “Yeah, Demyx loves that car! He got excited the first time he saw it. Sorry again, man.”

            “Hey, it’s cool. Now that I know why, it’s no big deal. That can’t be easy.”

            “Eh, it is what it is. It doesn’t affect me as much as some others. But obviously I mess up sometimes. Made it a little difficult in school, though.”

            “I’d imagine!” Sora nodded. “I mean, I was given pills for being hyperactive as a kid. Not sure if it was the result of a fad diagnosis or not, to be honest. But I’ve always been fidgety, so who knows.”

            “Yeah, I noticed,” Axel pointed out, nodding to their clasped hands.

            ‘ _Shit, have they been like this the whole time?’_

            The redhead laughed knowingly, a coy smile playing over his lips. The same laugh Sora used to think was a little too loud and annoying. Strangely, it seemed like neither of those things anymore. With his spare hand, the older man brushed the crest of the brunet’s cheeks, feeling their warmth. “You’re blushing, you know?” he murmured.

            “S-sorry.”

            “Naw, I like it. It’s pretty cute, actually.”

            “Cute?”

            “Yeah, it’s real honest.”

            “Now who’s coming on to who?”

            Axel laughed again, a warm rumbly sound in his chest. With ease he leaned forward, his nose ghosting the skin of Sora’s forehead. From so close, the younger could smell the man’s scent, a clean and almost spicy mixture of skin and faint cologne. Long red pieces of hair tickled his neck as he fought to keep his breathing steady.

            “Do you dislike it?” Axel asked, voice low but serious.

            “Well…”

            “I’ll stop if that’s the case.”

            “No! I…” Sora fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. “It’s fine, I… I like it. You’re… really easy to talk to. I guess I didn’t expect it.”

            Axel visibly relaxed, easing further into the intimate posture. “I guess I didn’t, either. You’re a good guy, Sora.”

            “I hope I’m a little more interesting than just ‘good’?”

            “Just a little,” Axel teased back. “You know, this is really great mood music. Pretty appropriate, I think,” he added as the opening lines of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ began to play.

            “So long as you don’t realize the problematic context,” Sora laughed awkwardly. “Though I suppose we can forget about that for the moment?”

            “Yeah, for the moment,” Axel grinned, nose to nose with the other male. “Would it be alright if I –“

            And that was really all the prompting Sora needed to lean in and kiss the damn redhead. Axel hummed in surprise, quickly relaxing into the kiss and deepening it in turn. Gently, he wove his fingers between the brunette’s messy hair, reveling in the softness of the tresses and their faint fragrance of coconut. A moment later and they broke apart, hazy blue eyes locked with mirthful green.

            “You’re a good kisser,” Sora panted.

            “Coming from you? You’re bolder than I thought,” the older smiled, dipping in for another go. Sora hummed his agreement, gaining confidence as they continued to kiss. Eagerly, he brought his hands forward to rest against Axel’s chest, melting into his warmth.

            “Damn, you’re warm,” he commented absently as they broke a second time.

            “I was always the personal heater of the group,” the other replied laughingly. “Perhaps you could get some use out of that?”

            “Are you inviting yourself into my place for future visits?”

            “Only if you’d like.”

            “Well maybe I would,” Sora blushed, hiding his face shyly in the crook of Axel’s shoulder. “Especially if that means there’s kissing.”

            “Oh, there can definitely be kissing,” Axel assured him. “In fact, I’d prefer it that way. I mean, I’m also free for cuddles and movie watching, but there’s no limit on that.”

            “Sounds suspiciously like a boyfriend, if you ask me,” the younger posed gingerly.

            “Yeah? I guess those would be pretty ideal qualities, then.”

            “I guess so,” Sora nodded, looking up earnestly. “I mean, I don’t have one, so I wouldn’t know.”

            “Care to fix that?” Axel grinned, sneaking another quick kiss.

            “Only if you ask nicely.”

            Axel cocked a brow teasingly and backed away slightly, repositioning to hold Sora’s hands. “Well then, would you care to be my boyfriend?”

            Sora laughed, blushing all the while and in utter disbelief of the entire situation. “Yeah, yeah I would. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

            “Well that’s a relief!” the other exclaimed, resuming their former position. “Because I was afraid I wasn’t going to have a good excuse to keep hanging out with you and kissing you, and that would just be a crime.”

            “Well we couldn’t have that,” Sora said, pulling a face. With a content laugh, he returned to kissing the redhead, reveling in the glow of new affection. A few minutes in, Axel withdrew, pulling Sora against his chest and lounging against the sofa. He watched languidly as the credits of their show ran, completely forgotten.

            “Don’t want to push too far,” he explained casually. “I mean, I’m flexible and all, but I try my best to be a gentleman.”

            “I’ll let you know how I feel,” Sora promised, settling happily against the other’s chest. “Thanks for respecting that.”

            “‘Course.”

            A pause. “You know you’re gonna have to join in on Christmas celebrations, now,” Sora warned.

            “And what do those look like for you?”

            “Let’s see… I mean, I do like to go and see my mom back home on Destiny Islands.”

            “Sounds exotic.”

            “It can get a bit muggy.”

            “Whatever will I do with my hair?”

            “Ha ha, well we’ll have to bring something for the table. It’s sort of like a potluck.”

            “I hope you don’t expect me to make a ham or something?”

            “Oh yeah, why not?”

            “Bro,” Axel laughed. “I burn EVERYTHING I touch. It’s pathetic.”

            “Okay, how about you bring the bread rolls, then? We always need tons of that.”

            “What about you? What sort of thing do you have for Christmas?”

            “Well back home, it’s a bit different because of the climate. I dunno, I could make lumpia or something like that.”

            “Sounds impressive.”

            “Have you never had lumpia!?”

            “Well there’s a first for everything, right?”

            “You bet there is!”

            “So who am I gonna meet?”

            “Let’s see,” Sora pondered a moment. “Well there’s mom – Lani – as far as family goes. But we celebrate with my friends, because their moms are friends with mine. They’re all nurses, see? So there’s Evie Nonaka, and her son, Riku. And then there’s Kawai Kiyoshima, and her daughter, Kairi. Sometimes other friends of ours come over too, like Tidus and Wakka –”

            “The ones with the awesome drawings?”

            “Yeah, and Selphie as well. We kids all grew up together on the island.”

            “That’s kind of adorable.”

            “I feel like you’re dodging the ‘quaint’ word.”

            “Sort of. I just came from more of a city lifestyle. So are there any traditions I should be aware of? Things I should or shouldn’t do?”

            Sora flushed, unable to keep the first thought from his mind. “Well, don’t let anyone trick you into eating a star-shaped fruit…”

            “Huh? What’s wrong with starfruit?” Axel queried.

            “Not that, it’s just star-shaped. It’s called a paopu fruit. Just uh… well… legend says if you share one with someone, that your destinies become intertwined. When we were little kids it was practically the same as marriage.”

            “That’s precious,” the other chuckled. “So what, worried I’ll be snatched up by someone else?”

            “Don’t be dumb,” Sora mumbled, giving him a playful punch on the arm. “I just, uh… shut up.”

            “You’re cute, you know,” Axel smiled, nuzzling his lips into the other’s hair. With a contented sigh, he planted a kiss to Sora’s head and turned his attention back to the television. “So, what should we ‘watch’ next?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the story! While I included tags for the insinuated issues within the story, I will go ahead and say that yes, it is implied that Roxas has died (by unclear means). This left a big enough impact on Axel that he became depressed and developed an eating disorder wherein he abuses exercise, thus making his heart weak. Throughout the years lots of folks have joked about Axel "looking anorexic" - I thought I would handle this matter in a more sensitive, accurate, and subtle manner. Having suffered with ED myself, I thought it would be nice to portray the struggle in a more realistic manner.
> 
> For anyone who was curious, yes, I headcanon Sora as being Japanese, Hawaiian, and Filipino! Kairi's mother is Hawaiian, and Riku's mother is Japanese. (However for those AMAZING readers who recognize the name 'Evie Nonaka' you'll know that I have a whole SLEW of headcanons on Riku's background).
> 
> Yes, Sora does have some kind of attention deficit disorder (non specified) and Axel has dyslexia because why not? Years ago in RP sessions I headcanoned that Axel had struggles in school, and that was the reasoning behind it. *shrug*


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